


In A Second

by smarter



Category: So Weird (TV)
Genre: A LOT OF DIALOGUE, F/M, From friends to lovers, IM Chat, Video Chat, quarantine is getting me y'all
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:35:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24047530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smarter/pseuds/smarter
Summary: Fi could recite the alphabet and he would ask her to repeat it. He wished he could hear her say it now.--Fic title is an Aly & AJ song, don't judge me.
Relationships: Fiona "Fi" Phillips/Clu Bell
Comments: 8
Kudos: 15





	In A Second

They could go days, weeks, months without talking and yet when that IM came, “ _hi_.” they always picked up right where they left off. Clu sometimes talked about his “babe of the week” (BOTW) while Fi typically went on some nonsensical tangent about UFOs or sirens (Fi was often convinced that the BOTW was some mythical creature sent to lure Clu into the depths of the ocean or off a cliff). It had been almost a year since they’d spoken last, but not for lack of trying. Fi was in another country all together - Romanian vampires don’t research themselves - and Clu was living it up in Hawaii. Emails back and forth became few and far between, and the time difference made phone calls nearly impossible. But it was two in the morning and Clu was staring at his screen.

_Rockerbaby is online._

He stared at the empty chat window for a few moments, trying to figure out what to say. Apparently not having constant contact with someone does something to one’s psyche. For instance - Clu was convinced that Fi had met some vampire prince guy and catching up with her brother’s best friend would be the last thing on her list, but then again wasn’t _he_ her friend too? Wouldn’t she want to know what was up with him? Wouldn’t she be pleased to know there had been no BOTW for almost the entire time she’d been in Romania? But also - why would she care? Clu let out a heavy sigh, running a hand through his hair before bringing his fingers back to the keyboard. He desperately wanted to talk to her, even if it was through a computer screen, so he better get on with it.

**SurferDude:** Seen any vampires lately?  
**Rockerbaby:** If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were the vamp. What are you doing up in the middle of the night?

He smiled. This is what he missed. Quick rebuttals & the illusion that no time had passed at all.

**SurferDude:** Couldn’t sleep. What about you?  
**Rockerbaby:** Clu, it’s the afternoon here. I’m sitting in a coffee shop updating the website while I drink a latte.  
**SurferDude:** Oh right. What’s the next blog post about?

He half expected her to change the subject, but she went straight into a ramble about how vampires are actually extremely religious and how she was almost 90% sure the Pope was their leader but she didn’t really have *proof* proof, just suspicious statements from a handful of people. He touched a finger to his lips as he smiled, reading her words on the screen. He could almost hear her voice saying them. She had a way words and Clu wasn’t sure when it happened, but he found himself entranced with every word. Fi could recite the alphabet and he would ask her to repeat it. He wished he could hear her say it now.

**Rockerbaby:** What about you? What have you been up to?  
**SurferDude:** Oh you know, a little bit of this, a little bit of that.  
**Rockerbaby:** A little bit of Trish, a little bit of Nat?  
**SurferDude:** Actually, no. There’s been nobody for a while.  
**Rockerbaby:** What? Clu laying off the ladies? I don’t know whether to be proud or concerned for your health.  
**SurferDude:** Can we video chat?  
_Rockerbaby is typing…_

Clu held his breath. It took everything to admit that he hadn't been seeing anybody. Then another everything to ask for a face to face. Well, a screen to face. They’ve video chatted before but Clu was still unsure of the specific terminology. He didn’t realize he was still holding his breath until she answered ( _Give me 5 minutes_ ) and he let it out. He got out of bed long enough to flip on a light and then back under the covers with his laptop while he waited anxiously.

Seeing her smiling face grace his screen was like seeing a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day. His lips instinctively formed a wide smile that rivaled her own. “That doesn’t look like a coffee shop,” he stated, referencing the very obvious headboard behind her.

“I moved to my hotel room, it’s too noisy outside. Plus I didn’t want people to eavesdrop on our conversation - privacy is hard to come by when you’re a woman traveling by yourself in a foreign country. Everybody wants to make sure you’re okay, that you’re staying on the right side of town and not going anywhere sketchy.” Fi finally took a breath only to see Clu smiling at her. She tucked her hair behind her ear, “So what have you really been up to? Did you conquer Hawaii already?”

Clu couldn’t wipe the stupid grin off his face even if there was a gun pointed at his head. He missed seeing her face, he missed hearing her ramble, and he missed the way her face lit up when she talked about...anything. 

“Is my screen frozen? This connection is so patchy sometimes, I thought I paid for-“

“Fi it’s fine.” He interrupted before she could start rambling again. It was honestly the last thing he wanted to do, but he didn’t want to risk the chance of her disconnecting to try to fix the internet. “I was just, uh, thinking.”

“About?”

“Nothing.”

“So…”

“So...hi.” Clu waved his hand.

Fi let out a mix between a nervous laugh and a nervous chuckle (a chaugh? lauckle?) and returned his wave with one of her own. “Hi.”

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. She was a million miles away, what did he have to lose? “This is stupid, Fi, I miss you.”

“I miss you too, Clu.” She replied on instinct.

“No I mean, I _miss_ you.”

“Yeah, and I _miss_ you.” She looked at him quizzically, repeating his emphasis back to him. 

“I don’t know why I thought it would be easier this way.” He mumbled, head in his hands.

“Clu, are you okay? What’s wrong?”

Head still in his hands, he contemplated for a moment. Telling her how he felt was risky. She was his best friend’s kid sister. Sure, she wasn’t a kid anymore, but he was positive Jack would see it differently. Then again, did Jack necessarily need to know? If feelings weren’t mutual, who said big brother needed to find out?

“Clu? I think my connection froze again.”

Fuck it. It was now or never. “No it didn’t, I’m sorry.” he finally replied, bringing his head back up to look at her. “I need to tell you something and I need you to promise not to say anything until I’m finished...also don’t tell Jack?”

“Clu, you’re scaring me.” Fi replied, her voice almost shaky.

“I need you to promise me, Fi, please.”

“Okay, I promise.”

He took a deep breath to steady himself. There was no going back now. “When I say ‘I _miss_ you,” I mean that I miss you so much it aches. Not hearing from you for the past year was torture.”

“Well that-”

“Fiona.”

“Sorry.” Fi ran her fingers across her lips as if she was closing a zipper.

“Right, and I know that was nobody’s fault. Time zones and everything. The point is I miss everything about you. I miss seeing you everyday. I miss your face, I miss your laugh, I miss the way you talk about the things you’re passionate about. And...I miss the way I feel when I’m around you.” He glanced at her face on the screen to gauge any kind of reaction. Surprisingly, he found it hard to read any kind of emotion through his computer screen. She was, however, chewing her bottom lip in contemplation; unfortunately, contemplation was a funny emotion - it could mean a lot of things. He decided to continue before she decided his extended silence meant that he was finished talking. “You know how I said there hasn’t been anyone for a while?” Fi returned a slow nod. “That’s because I can’t get my mind off of you, Fi. You’re all I think about. I couldn’t imagine being with anybody else because they wouldn’t be you. I wish...I really wish you were here.” 

He took a deep breath and placed his arms across his stomach. Fi was still chewing on her bottom lip, deep in thought. Clu thought that maybe he should say something more, but the more he watched her the more words seemed to escape him. The long silence also meant more time for Clu to question himself. Maybe he shouldn’t have said anything. Maybe it was better for him to suffer in silence. 

After more minutes of silence, he tilted his head down, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, Fi. I shouldn’t ha-” 

“Okay.” She interrupted. 

Clu snapped his head up. What he saw only made him confused. She had obviously put the laptop on a table and he couldn’t really see much of anything except what seemed to be her walking back and forth. “What?”

“Okay.” she called from wherever she was in the room. 

“Fiona!”

Once again she appeared on screen. Still standing, she was leaning over so her face was in front of the camera. “I said okay. I can be there tomorrow.” As if that answered all the thousands of questions running through Clu’s mind at that exact moment, she walked away - but not before rotating the laptop so that it was facing the bed. She had a suitcase on the bed and was throwing clothes into it.

“ _What!_?” Clu may have had a thousand questions, but couldn’t really find the words to actually voice them. He really couldn’t believe what he was seeing or if he was seeing it at all. The clock in the corner of his screen did say 3:24 AM, after all. “Fiona will you please just stop for a minute and tell me what is happening?!”

Fi had tossed a camera in the suitcase before complying with his request and sat on the edge of the bed. She looked directly at the computer screen, a smirk on her lips. “You said you wish I was there, so I’m coming there. I’m just about done here anyway.” she shrugged. “Plus, what I have to say to you can’t be said through a computer screen...” and, as if it was an after thought, “it never really could.”

**Author's Note:**

> I started this fic shortly after I had finished rewatching So Weird (in November 2019) and just recently finished it, so if the tone changes I apologize. Also, there is not enough fic in this tag.


End file.
